The Garden of Vacant Dreams
by kbraddock
Summary: The further he digs, the more she grows. Can he save her and find himself again in the balance?
1. Chapter 1 - An Uncertain Future

**A/N: Saban and Disney own the characters you know, I own the ones you don't. ** This will act as the sequel to A Get Together to Remember. I intend to write this as its own story, so whether or not you read GTTR shouldn't make a difference but this tale will definitely mean more if you have read it. :-)

Chapter One - An Uncertain Future

 _The water was calm. The sun beamed down from a cloudless sky as the cool summer breeze rustled the leaves of the palm trees that surrounded the bay. She looked around at her surroundings feeling at peace for the first time in years. Looking up at the man sitting before her, she couldn't help but smile. The two sat in a double canoe they had rented for the day._

" _This is fun." She told him. "I've never done this before!"_

" _Get used to it." He replied with a grin as he opened their picnic basket. "Chicken salad or PB &J?" _

" _PB &J." She replied as she took the sandwich from him. _

" _Wise choice." He told her, his calm, content expression matching hers._

 _The two sat for a few minutes eating their lunch and enjoying each other's company._

" _Do you like Reefside so far?" He piped up as he pulled out a bottle of white grape juice and handed it to her._

 _She nodded with enthusiasm. "Good!" He replied with a smile. "I want to make sure you're happy here."_

 _She took a sip of her juice as he reached for his water. A Newport 33 sailboat passed by, the older couple aboard waving at them. They returned the greeting. "Why does everyone wave at each other out here?" She asked._

" _Because they're happy…. just like we are." She nodded, her eyes diverting to her shoes._

" _What should I call you?" She asked after a moment of silence._

 _He was caught a little off guard by her question. "Whatever you want to call me, Jamie." He replied with a smile._

 _She nodded again with a bigger grin. "Alright, Dad."_

Her eyes shot open. She was still huddled in the same fetal position on the stone cold floor. She had actually managed to fall asleep. For how long, she didn't know but she was suddenly overwhelmed with fear again. She had let her guard down. She had been taught to always look out for herself, to be alert and aware of her surroundings. She still had no idea where she really was but she knew that the man doing this to her was no man at all. He was as evil as they come, an unpredictable loose cannon, capable of anything. She sat up then, pulling the hoodie she'd been using as a pillow back over her head. A small ceiling light was on that hadn't been on when she was brought there. She took notice of the blood stains on the floor and the walls, the bones around her in the cell. She remembered something then as knots began to form in her stomach. Her foster father had been a prisoner here and now history seemed to be repeating itself. 'He didn't survive, the great Tommy Oliver, a Power Ranger, didn't survive.' She thought to herself. 'What chance do I have?' The door to her left swung open then.

"Ah, good!" He cheerfully greeted. "You're awake! I brought you some food."

She got up from the floor and walked up to the bars to face him. He held a tray with a glass of water and a plate of mashed potatoes.

"They're instant." He told her after a moment of silence. "I'm no cook and we don't have much of anything else right now so this will have to do." He set the tray down on the floor near the widest bars so she'd be able to reach for it.

She kept her eyes focused on him. "When are you going to let me out of here?"

"When I see that you're ready." He replied as he crossed his arms. "You've got some lessons to learn before I can trust you. Until then, get used to your new home."

"You can't leave me here like this."

"Sure I can." He replied sternly. "I'd eat… might be awhile before I return."

He began to walk back over to the door. Her intense expression didn't falter. "Ready for what?" She practically yelled.

He opened the door, the dim light of the candlelit hallway shining into the room. Without looking back at her he turned his head only slightly in her direction, just enough for her to see his pleased expression.

"You're going to be the most beautiful flower I've ever grown."

* * *

He turned his engine off, removing the key as he lit up his smoke. He watched the rain come down hard on the hood of his Jeep as he cracked open his window. The radio caught his attention then and he reached over to turn up the volume.

" _Good afternoon folks. You're listening to FM 94.9 Reefside with Rob and Jeff. We hope you're enjoying your New Years Eve despite the heavy rainfall. There is a wind advisory until 11:00pm tonight and rain throughout New Years Day. Multiple accidents have been reported today already. Be careful out there!"_

He unlocked his glove compartment, pulling out a nearly finished bottle of whiskey. He threw back the remnants of the bottle, taking down four to five shots worth in one sitting. He let out an exasperated breath as he finished, tossing the empty bottle back into his glove compartment. He wiped a few stray drops of the whiskey from his beard before locking the glove compartment back up.

" _We've got some fantastic tunes lined up for you all." He leaned back in his chair as he took another drag. "We'll be taking it back to the 60's for the next two hours so sit back, enjoy and party responsibly tonight guys and gals!"_

His car sat parked on the street at the end of a driveway. His eyes scanned the house as his watch beeped on the new hour. He wondered if he should just leave, his presence there entirely unwanted. He shook his head in defiance.

He would never be able to let this go.

He reached for the doorknob then, flicking the cherry of his smoke out onto the street before stepping out of the car. He shut the door, walked around the car and headed towards the porch. His pace was fast and his expression made it clear he was a man on a mission.

A woman hurriedly came out of the house, shutting the door behind her before immediately confronting him.

"Jason, you can't."

"I sure as hell can and you can't force me to leave." He was standing at the top of the stairs just enough to be out of the rain. She stood close to the front door, facing him with pleading eyes.

"He doesn't want to see you. He's made that clear… you're just going to make this worse."

His look of determination began to slip but not by much. "I have to see him, Kim."

She took a few steps closer to him. "I've seen you, you know." She began, lowering her voice. "I've seen you from the living room window… every day, same time." She paused, noting he was on the verge of losing it. "This isn't healthy, Jason. You need to give this some time. You've got a baby due any minute now and a wife that needs you by her side, you should be at home!"

"Some time?" He scoffed as he shook his head in disbelief. "It's been three months, Kim…. three months!" His tone was steadily rising. "I'm going in… you can't stop me." As he finished he bumped shoulders with her.

"Jason!" She called after him. "Stop!" She ordered again as he walked into the house. He made his way down the hall, immediately opening the bedroom door without hesitation. Kim still followed him but stopped pleading the moment he walked into Tommy's room.

"Tommy?" He called out. He was very worked up at this point and it was evident in his tone.

Tommy was lying on his side in bed. He was halfway under the covers with his back to Jason as his eyes watched the rain fall outside.

"Hey." He said with attitude as he walked around to see Tommy was awake. "You going to answer me?"

Tommy didn't acknowledge him at all. "Fine." Jason began after a moment. "If you aren't going to to talk to me, you can just listen then." He could see Kim in his peripheral, she was upset but he didn't care at this point. "You can't lay in this bed forever, Tommy… you've got to stop this, bro… you need to pull yourself together."

Tommy didn't even flinch despite Jason's harsh tone, it was as if Jason wasn't there. He noted then that it had been a week or two since Tommy had shaved and his hair was almost at shoulder length again.

"You can't treat me like this forever…. You're going to have to talk to me at some point." He paused as he shook his head in disbelief, his best friend of over two decades continuing to blatantly ignore him. "Tommy…. I'm beggin' you." Jason began again as he clasped his hands together. He was beginning to look like he'd lost the battle he had been determined to win. "I'm your best friend, your brother… I'm…" He paused again, looking down at the floor. "I'm so sorry… for everything. Please… you've got to accept that."

"Jason." Kim addressed in just above a whisper. "We should go."

Jason heard her words but continued to look at Tommy with a pleading expression. Tommy hadn't spoken to him since he'd woken from a coma three months before, since Jason had dumped revelations onto him that had broken him in more ways than one.

He scoffed, shaking his head as he quickly left the room in disappointment. Kimberly followed him out, shutting Tommy's door behind her. The two of them made it out to the porch just as Jason pulled his pack of smokes out of his pocket and lit one up.

"I told you." Kim said as she crossed her arms to keep warm. "He doesn't even talk to me, Jase… if it weren't for his insurance no longer covering for a nurse, he probably wouldn't have ever agreed to have me here."

"So what?" Jason began as he exhaled and placed his free hand in his jean pocket. "You mean to tell me that you two haven't spoken about anything that's happened? Not one thing?"

"No!" She told him sternly. "He'll thank me every once in awhile but that's about it. I'm honestly beginning to wonder just how much longer I can do this for. I've been cooking and cleaning, scheduling his doctor appointments, his physical therapy. I've been waiting on him hand and foot and he's barely said a word to me." Jason looked away from her at that point as she caught her breath.

"I don't know what he wants…" She continued. "I don't even know if he's really getting any better."

Jason continued to look out into the front yard, the rain still coming down as hard as ever. He exhaled, another cloud of smoke disappearing into the brisk air. "We don't know him anymore." He finally concluded.

Kim was looking at him now with pure sympathy. He sat down on the first step then as she looked back at the door. "I made a pot of coffee not too long ago. I'll go grab you a cup." He didn't respond, hearing her go inside as he continued to watch the rain fall. He usually loved it when rain decided to hit the drylands of southern California but in this moment he felt like the rain was only adding to his downcast mood. He heard the front door open and close again behind him.

"Thanks Kim." He spoke as he looked up at the person behind him.

He stood immediately, completely taken aback. He was entirely speechless as Tommy stood before him, his cane in hand supporting his right side.

"You smoke now?" Tommy asked with a look of sheer disappointment. Jason looked down at the cigarette in his hand. "How long?"

Jason's eyes remained on his smoke. "Since the reunion." He finally replied, looking back up at Tommy.

"That's a long time." Tommy added. "You should stop before it kills you."

"Would you even care at this point if it did?" Jason sharply replied.

Tommy's stone cold expression remained, only now he was beginning to scowl. The front door opened then, a startled Kim now in their presence.

"Tommy?" She began as she set the two coffee mugs in hand down on the table just outside the door. "What are you doing out here? Do you want me to grab you a coat?" He was wearing a black t-shirt, grey sweatpants and no shoes.

"No." He replied, not looking at either of them as he slowly took a couple of steps forward toward the porch railing. "Just coming out for some fresh air... won't be long."

"Looks like you're making some progress in PT." Jason told him. Tommy didn't reply and instead turned around to ask if Kim would leave them alone for a little while.

"Sure." She replied, glancing over at Jason before reluctantly going back inside.

"So…" Jason started after a moment of silence. "You've finally decided to talk to me."

"I can smell the alcohol on you from a mile away." Tommy replied. "What the hell happened to you?"

Jason scoffed, shaking his head as he flicked the cherry out of his cigarette. "Nothing." He replied, avoiding eye contact.

"Nothing… yeah, sure." Tommy began again. "You've become a chain smoking alcoholic… a real winner."

"Hey, you've got no right to judge me, Tommy." He replied, pointing his finger in Tommy's direction. "A lot has happened to me… a lot you don't know about, or even cared to know about. I should be the one judgin' you… you get a second chance and you've been burying your sad, sappy self underneath your covers for months!"

Tommy's demeanor instantly became aggressive. "I get to be however the hell I want to be!" Tommy's tone began to rise as he shook his head. "You haven't lost what I have!"

"How can you say that?" Jason threw right back. "I don't know what would have been better honestly… to have been in a coma all these years or having to be here, present for all of this bullshit! Just wait until you go back out into the real world, you're gonna hate it!"

Tommy continued to scowl, his anger still very much present. Jason's expression matched his as he considered what he was about to say. "I lost too, Tommy…" He slowly began in a despairing tone. "I lost myself… I lost her…. and I lost you."

Tommy didn't respond, his expression becoming much softer and solemn. He looked away from Jason, his pained eyes landing on the large palm that sat in his front yard. He walked to the steps, very carefully making his way down them.

"Hey... Tommy!" Jason called out to him. "Where are you goin'?"

Tommy didn't respond as he struggled to take a few more steps into his yard with the support of his cane.

Kimberly came out of the house then, having seen Tommy from the living room window. She looked over at Jason as the two exchanged looks of subtle concern.

They watched in silence as Tommy dropped his cane onto the grass then and extended his arms out from his sides. With his palms facing the sky, he lifted his head and let the rain fall onto his skin for the first time in four years.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Real World

**A/N: Saban and Disney own the characters you know, I own the ones you don't.**

Chapter Two - The Real World

" _Do I look okay?" She was observing herself in the body length mirror in her bedroom. She wore a cocoa colored knee-length dress with cream trim and brown suede flats. Her long, wavy ponytail fell in between her shoulder blades. She tightened her hair tie as she looked at him in the reflection of her mirror._

" _Of course you do." He replied. "Jamie, you look perfect."_

 _She turned around and faced him. "I'm nervous. You can tell, can't you?"_

 _He grinned before sitting down on the edge of her bed. He clasped his hands together as his elbows met his thighs."It's normal. Graduating the eighth grade and moving into high school is a big deal." His eyes followed her as she sat down and crossed her arms._

" _I'm almost fourteen. I'm four years away from being out in the real world and I still don't even know what I want to be."_

" _Hey… stay calm, kid. You've got plenty of time to figure your life out."_

" _Did you know what you wanted to do when you were my age?"_

 _He looked away from her as he took a moment to think about it. "Well… I always knew I wanted to be a martial artist. I wanted to run my own dojo but it was never really in the cards for me." He paused before looking back at her. "It's okay to not know. You're going to grow a lot and discover things about the world and about yourself in the next few years. You'll figure it out along the way."_

" _Did you go to college right after high school?"_

 _He looked away again as he thought carefully about his response. "I didn't, no."_

" _How come?"_

 _As much as he wanted to tell her the truth, he knew he had to refrain. "I didn't feel ready for it. I wanted to be certain that I knew what I wanted to do with my life before jumping into it."_

" _When did you know?"_

" _When I was twenty-five." He replied. "I decided on Paleontology thinking I'd go off and travel, that I'd research and discover things. When I graduated college, there weren't a lot of jobs available. I went back and got my Masters and thought I'd teach in a college somewhere. I never thought I'd end up here in Reefside but I missed southern California."_

" _Professor Oliver." She said as she looked up at him with a smile. "Has a nice ring to it."_

 _He grinned as he looked down at her._

" _You know…" He began again after a moment. "High school was an interesting time in my life. I experienced a lot, both good and bad and you will too. It's an exciting time really. I think you're going to do really well, Jamie."_

 _She nodded as her eyes landed on her shoes and her demeanor became more solemn._

" _Hey…" He said as he placed his hand on her back and looked down at her with fatherly concern. "What's on your mind?"_

" _I miss her so much." She softly replied. "I wish she could watch me graduate too."_

 _He could see the whirlwind of emotion building up within her. It had been almost eight years since she watched her mother die at the hands of her biological father. He pulled her into him and she embraced him right back._

" _She's always with you, Jamie." He told her softly as she held him tight. He rested his chin against the top of her head. "And I will be too."_

The subtle crackling of the wood fire stove in the living room could be heard as the downpour continued outside. Tommy sat in his oak leather chair, his worn and stale gaze on the fire.

"I'm going to make a run to the store." Kimberly announced as she pulled on her magenta raincoat. "Can I get you guys anything?" She looked over at Jason who was sitting on a bar stool at the kitchen counter with a cup of freshly brewed coffee in his hands.

"I'm good. Thanks, though." He replied before taking a sip of dark roast. He looked up at her then with a look of pleasant surprise. "This coffee is pretty damn good, Kim."

She smiled as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "I know you like your dark roasts."

She redirected her attention and walked over to Tommy. "How about you, Tommy? Can I get you anything?" He didn't reply. "Are you warm enough? I can go grab another blanket if you'd like."

He glanced up at her before resettling his eyes on the fire. "No, I'll be fine." He finally responded.

She gave him a quick sympathetic look before glancing over at Jason. The two of them made eye contact for a moment before she nodded once and headed for the door. Jason knew that was her subtle way of wishing him luck. This was the first time in three months that he and Tommy were in the same room together and Tommy hadn't told him to leave yet.

The moment the front door closed behind her, silence ensued. Tommy sat with a forest green blanket on his lap, his elbows rested on the arms of his chair. He was wearing a long-sleeved, skin-tight black shirt and his hair was still wet from his moment earlier out in the rain. He used to look muscular, healthy and fit in that shirt and now he just looked thin and frail in it.

Jason looked down at his cup of coffee. He was still feeling the effects of the whiskey he had downed less than an hour before. He wondered if he should say anything, the silence between them almost too much to bear.

"What's going to happen?" Tommy asked after a few minutes as he continued to look at the fire.

"What do you mean?" Jason replied, looking over at him.

"When I go back out there… into the real world." He paused before continuing. "The world you said I'm going to hate."

Jason let out a slow exhale as his eyes diverted back to the coffee in between his hands. "Well… considering no one knows you're back, the media will be all over you once you're seen."

"Would you take me out there?"

Jason looked back up to see Tommy's eyes now on him. "Yeah… I would."

* * *

Her feet meandered through the auburn sand. She held herself tightly as the cold winds brushed over her. Despite the sun's fierce presence, this was by far the coldest planet she had ever been on. There were close to fifty tan colored huts ahead of her, half of them enclosed and all of them full of creatures she had never seen before.

'So this is Zultan.' She thought to herself as she slowly shook her head. 'What a dump.'

She stopped, pushing back her waist-long braid as she retrieved her canteen from her small canvas messenger bag. She took a sip of warm water before scanning the rest of the desert area. Her mission was clear and she was ready to face whatever came her way. He had given her a deadline and she was determined to make it. The last thing she ever wanted to do is disappoint him.

She placed her canteen back in her bag and continued walking. As she neared the first hut she was overcome by the stench. She wondered for a moment whether or not to enter but she knew she had to search every inch of this place for the creature she was looking for.

As she walked into the hut she was immediately pushed back out. "What do you think you're doing?" The creature barked at her. She noted how ugly it was, its pale head too big for its body, its fly-like eyes a piercing yellow that sat above what she assumed was the remnants of a nose. "This is my home you desert rat!"

"I'm sorry." She replied flatly. "I am looking for someone and clearly you aren't them."

"Clearly!" It replied before walking back inside its home.

She walked around to the right and could hear music being played in the near distance. Drawn to it she went searching for the source. As she got closer to the music she began to notice the eyes watching her. The residents of this community had never seen a human on their planet before. She cautiously looked around her as she slowly made her way to the tent producing the music. She noted how much bigger it was from the others before walking inside.

Foul flavored smoke entered her nostrils upon entry and she coughed instantly. Her eyes quickly scanned the room as she took another sip of water from her canteen. There was a small bar with a robotic female bartender and two creatures off to the left of her playing cards on a clockwise rotating table. One of them was singing to itself in a language she couldn't even begin to understand. It only took a minute before she gained the attention of everyone present. The music stopped then, the room fell silent and all eyes migrated to her.

"Hi." She addressed the crowd sheepishly. No one replied, they all just continued to stare.

"You shouldn't be here." A deep, unnervingly strong voice spoke from behind her.

She jumped at the sound of whoever it was. She turned around, immediately pulling her staff off of her back and pointing it at the creature.

"Who are you?" She asked, looking up at the black creature. She could barely make out its facial structure. All she could really see were its thick muscles and white horns. It almost looked like some sort of buffalo crossbreed.

"I'm the owner of this joint and you are a human very far from home."

"I don't live on Earth." She replied. "I'm from Rowen."

The creature laughed as it crossed its arms. "Rowen? That planet has been abandoned for years."

"Not for the past four."

There was a moment of silence before the creature spoke again. "What are you doing here on Zultan?"

She was still pointing her staff at him, her stance remaining defensive. "I'm looking for someone."

"And who might that be?"

She glanced around her shoulders making sure no one was about to attack from behind. "His name is Finster."

The creature dropped its arms as whispering began to ensue around the room. "No one has ever asked about Finster before."

"So he's here then?"

"Yes." The creature replied. "You'll find him near the back of the colony. There's a blue space crystal sitting outside of his residence."

She finally dropped her staff. "Thank you." She sincerely replied as the creature remained in place. "Are you going to let me leave now?"

The creature reluctantly stepped out of the way. "I wouldn't come back to Zultan if I were you." It added firmly as she walked toward the exit. "We don't like visitors disturbing our peace."

"Don't worry…" She replied definitively. "You'll never see me again."

The music resumed the moment she stepped out of the hut. She placed her staff back in its holder on her back as she made her way through the rest of the community. She again caught many of the eyes of the residents there but she paid no attention to them. She was walking quickly now, her eyes looking out for the blue crystal that would signal she had found the right hut. She was shivering, wanting to complete this mission and get out of the cold. 'I've got to be getting close.' She thought as she turned another corner. She pulled her canteen out again and was about to take another sip before her eyes landed on her destination. She threw her canteen back into her bag as she made her way over to the hut with the blue crystal out front. She carefully pulled back the cloth door and walked inside.

"Hello?" She called out as she looked around. No one responded. There was a kettle about to come to a boil on a hot plate in a small makeshift kitchen in front of her. The areas to the left and right of her were both cordoned off with extra cloth for privacy. The kettle began to whistle its high-pitched tune and sure enough a creature emerged from behind the cloth to the right of her. It didn't notice her as it went over to the kettle, pulled it off the burner and began to pour itself a cup of tea. The description he had given her matched the short, blue skinned creature with long pointed ears standing before her.

"Finster?"

He looked up then, clearly startled by her voice as he nearly dropped his cup. He set his cup down on his table, slowly walking around to stand in front of her. 'He's even shorter than I thought.' She noted as the two stared at each other in silence.

"You're Finster, right? ...You helped Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd back in the day."

He took in a deep breath as he pushed his glasses a little further up on his nose. He got a very strange, yet familiar feeling being in her presence.

"I am." He finally replied. "No one has come to see me in over a decade." He paused as he thought about who she might be. "Who are you, my dear?"

She looked down at her shoes for a moment before looking back up at him. "I am here to ask you to come to Rowen."

"Rowen?" He asked, startled. "My, my… Rowen is no place for either of us."

"It is right now." She replied. "I've lived there for some time now with the keeper. He has asked me to find you and bring you back to Rowen with me."

"Why would I possibly go to Rowen? My home is here… I have lived peacefully, away from the fighting and the wars for a long time."

"Because the keeper needs you."

"The keeper, you say… what is this person the keeper of?"

She paused, letting out a long breath before continuing. "He's the keeper of the Dolmen Stone."

Finster's entire demeanor changed. He looked away from her as he gripped his chest. "I think it's quite possible I've just had a heart attack."

"It won't be forever." She began in a convincing tone. "He needs your help and that's all I know right now."

Finster slowly shook his head as he thought deeply about the request. He couldn't believe someone was in possession of the all powerful Dolmen stone. He was intrigued, yet terrified at the same time. He slowly took his glasses off, crossed his arms and looked back up at her.

"Very well then. Let's go."

* * *

The rain continued to hammer the streets of Reefside. The roads were flooded and electricity was out for many residences and businesses. The weather wasn't keeping people from enjoying their New Year's Eve though. The Cyber Cafe, a local favorite, was packed with people on computers, playing arcade games and watching football. Hayley Ziktor was working harder than ever to ensure her customers were getting everything they needed. Despite the help she had from her husband, Billy and long-time employee, Trent, the three of them were overwhelmed and exhausted.

The bell rang again. "Order up!" Billy called out as he placed two plates on the counter between the kitchen and the bar. "These are the ham and cheese sandwiches you've been waiting on, dear!" He added as Hayley finished a transaction at the register.

"Thanks honey!" She replied as she grabbed the plates and Billy disappeared into the kitchen. As she walked them over to one of the tables she contemplated why she had chosen to expand her business. What was once a small, quiet coffee house was now more like a gastropub with games.

She apologized to the young couple for the delay on their food before quickly returning to the register. A line had already formed and Trent was behind by five drinks at the coffee bar.

"I take it we aren't getting any breaks tonight." Trent said as she wrote on three more cups, placing them in the queue on the counter.

She gave him an apologetic grin. "It will calm down, I'm sure of it… you're doing great, Trent."

He nodded as he began to steam milk. "Thanks… really trying here."

The bell on the front door rang as two more people walked in. They were startled by the shouts of joy that suddenly came from the crowd watching the football game.

"I'm sorry… can you repeat that?" Hayley asked the customer in front of her as she leaned in to hear the response.

"Order up!" Billy called out again before running back to another dish he was preparing.

"Trent? Can you run that?"

"No can do, Hayley." He immediately replied. "I'm swamped."

She turned around to look at the ticket. They were salads and she decided she would wait a moment before running them. She turned back around to greet the next customer when the unexpected happened.

She froze, her mouth instantly falling ajar. She was the deer caught in the headlights, her look of astonishment was coupled with the instant inability to form any words.

Trent caught her standstill moment in his peripheral and stepped away from the machine for a moment to see what had caught her eye. He nearly dropped his pitcher of hot, steamed milk as he too froze in shock.

There standing before them were Tommy and Jason. Tommy leaned to the right as he put his weight onto his cane. Jason stood behind him with his arms crossed. Both men carried worn, desolate looks.

"Hayley!" Billy said in an urgent tone as he moved the two salads aside and set a hot plate of pasta down. "I called this order out already." He was about to walk back into the kitchen when his eyes landed on his former teammates and friends standing on the other side of the counter. He did a double take before stepping out of the kitchen.

"Oh my God..." He stated softly as he crossed his arms. His eyes scanned Tommy in disbelief.

Hayley slowly walked around the counter and right up to the dear friend she thought she had lost. Her eyes never migrated from his. She stood with her arms at her sides as the two looked at each other for a moment. Tears began to well up in Hayley's eyes. Tommy bit his lip as he held his emotions at bay. She slowly raised her right arm and cupped his cheek with her hand. He responded by reaching up with his left arm and taking hold of that hand. She blinked upon feeling his touch, tears finally falling onto her cheeks. Without a word she wrapped her arms around him. He closed his eyes and returned the gesture as best as he could. They held onto each other for a few moments unaware of the growing increase of eyes on them. The noisy, busy establishment started to quiet down and whispering quickly ensued. Hayley withdrew from the embrace and took his left hand into both of hers as she looked up at him with raw emotion. "I'm so happy to see you." She told him softly.

"I'm happy to see you too." He replied with half a grin. He looked up from her then and to his right as he began to notice what was happening. Jason, Billy and Trent were already aware of it and while they wanted to say something, they refrained and let Tommy take it in.

His eyes slowly migrated around the room as a sea of cellphones looked right back at him.

He was alive, awake and alert.

And now he was exposed.


	3. Chapter 3 - Sic Transit Gloria

_A/N: Saban/Disney own the characters you know. I own the ones you don't._

 **Chapter Three - "Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades"**

The pacific tide flowed over his bare feet as his eyes scanned the horizon. He had stood in that very spot so many times in his life and yet it felt so foreign to him this time. He looked down at his feet, his toes almost fully immersed in the wet sand. His eyes migrated to the wooden cane in his right hand as he placed weight on it and took a step forward. His left foot followed before he dropped the cane altogether. The tide rushed back in and he watched as the waves took his cane with them.

He stood still as he listened to the whooshing of the waves breaking. The majestic Pacific was even more enticing today, the deep crescent blue of the mysterious water calling for him to come.

He took one step forward and then another, attempting to maintain his already weakened balance. He continued to answer to her call, the waves now brushing up against his chest, soiling his black long sleeved shirt, the taste of saltwater now on his lips.

* * *

" _Ladies and gentlemen-" A woman's voice announced over the loudspeaker in the Reefside Middle School gym, "Welcome to the 11th Annual Toso Kune Do Junior Competition. Today we have nine talented young ladies competing for their brown belts, a monumental advancement that paves the way toward mastery of the martial art. Judging is based purely on form and execution and those that earn enough points today will move on to perform their Kata with their mentor in front of the school's board of Toso instructors."_

" _You ready for this?" He asked her as he gripped her shoulders._

 _She nodded. "I think so. I'm just…" She paused for a moment as she tightened her green belt. "Really, really nervous." She finished, looking back up at him._

" _You've got nothing to be worried about. We've been practicing for months." He paused as he grinned. "Today's the day you get your brown belt. I know it."_

" _How do you know?" She started again. "How do you know I won't just completely screw up? The other girls are so good. Maybe I'm not meant to do this… maybe I'm-"_

" _Maybe you're just letting your nerves get the best of you." He responded with assurance._

" _You know how I know you're going to do great?" He began again as he took her hands into his. She shook her head in response, glancing over at the other girls before looking back up at him. "Because you're an Oliver and Olivers don't let their nerves get the best of them."_

 _She responded with half a grin before he continued. "You know what else Olivers don't do?"_

 _Her grin widened. "Give up?"_

 _He smiled as let go of her hands and motioned for her to give him a high five. "That's right."_

" _Would Carmen Ruiz and Jamie Oliver please step up to the sparring mat?"_

 _She high fived him back before watching her classmate walk over to her marker on the mat._

" _You've got this, J-O." He told her, motioning for her to go take her place on the mat._

 _She picked up her sparring gloves, placing them on her hands. "Thanks, Dad." She told him before quickly making her way over to her marker._

 _She let out a deep breath, smiling at her father who had just taken his seat in the stands._

 _His expression reflected hers and she suddenly felt a lot calmer and more confident. She placed her baby blue mouthpiece in and got into a fighting stance._

" _Three… two… one…." *Ding, Ding, Ding_

* * *

"Come on…. Is that all you got?"

"I don't want to fight you." She said between breaths as she maintained a defensive stance.

"You should want to." He responded. "You should hate me so much you want to hit me. Hell… I'm surprised you haven't tried to kill me yet!" He came at her with a roundhouse kick but she was quick to duck.

She didn't respond as she kept her hands up and her feet squarely apart. Fear was evident in her face as sweat and dirt clung to her skin. She looked like she hadn't bathed in weeks.

"Aren't you angry?" He began again, taunting her as he walked around her with his arms now at his sides. "Angry I brought you here? Angry that your dad died?" He paused, smirking and shaking his head as he clasped his hands behind his back. "My mistake… if I recall, you had two fathers that died in the last year." He paused again, gauging her reaction and eagerly awaiting some sort of strike. She continued to glare at him, her fear slowly turning into anger.

"You see… I think father number one had more to offer in a lot of ways. He was your blood after all. But father number two?" He paused again before continuing. "He's the one that taught you stuff, right? He's the one that actually gave a shit about you." Her bottom lip began to quiver as her eyebrows furrowed inward. He took notice of this as the two continued to slowly dance around one another. "You've been here for eight months and you haven't said a word about him. Why is that?"

"Stop." She replied as a tear fell onto her cheek.

He gave her an inquisitive look. "Do you miss him?" He paused as no response came. "Do you hate that you couldn't do anything to save him?"

She kept her hands up in defence, staring him down, unaware her dark expression was one she had never worn before. He smirked once again. "You want to know what I thought of him?" He stopped circling her as he pointed at her in a matter-of-fact manner. "I thought he was weak... And a coward for leaving my own father, his partner, to die and turn into the monster he did." His tone began to rise. "Your father, the great Tommy Oliver, wasn't as great as everyone thought him to be. He deserved to die and you want to know something, Jamie?" He paused once more, his sinister smile returning. "I enjoyed killing him."

She yelled, launching herself at him. He blocked one punch after another, one uppercut, one kick, one jab after another. He kept defending himself, not attempting to fight back as she grunted and shouted through tears. The coarse, blood red sand beneath their feet swirled around them as Jamie took shot after shot at the man that ruined her life. Samuel Smith had to pay, she was determined he would pay for it all. He finally saw his moment of recourse. She cried out as he took hold of her arm and pulled it behind her. He brought a knife up to her throat as she froze, wide-eyed and huffing like she had just run a marathon. He held her there, his left hand on her wrist behind her. Silence ensued for a moment before she felt him twist her wrist and throw her to the ground. Jamie cried out, immediately gripping her wrist as she curled into the feedle position in the sand.

Samuel bent down over her as she continued to cry. "I need you to look at me." He told her as he cocked his head slightly to the side. Her eyes remained shut. "LOOK AT ME." He shouted, startling her. She looked up at him as she tried not to sob, fear back in her expression. "Your wrist is broken. We'll reset it once you decide to get up and come inside." He paused as he carefully placed his knife inside the inner chest pocket of his black trenchcoat. He looked back at her, her eyes still on him. "For the past eight months, I've had to deal with your teenage attitude, your back-talk, your overall disrespect. You don't seem to realize despite me telling you multiple times that no one is coming for you, that this-" He paused as he looked around at their surroundings, "-this is your home now… and I'm all you've got now." He paused again, intently staring into her eyes as he brushed away strands of his oily, stringy black hair from his face. "The moment you come back inside, you _will_ start showing me some respect, you _will_ start listening to me and doing as you're told because if you don't-" He paused, inching closer to her, "I'll go back to Earth and bring back the last person that means anything to you." She gave him a look that told him she didn't want him to finish his thought. "I'll bring Jason Scott back to this godforsaken planet and do to him as I did to your father… you wouldn't want that to happen now, would you?"

She didn't respond. Her eyes were bloodshot, her cheeks red and puffy. Her focus continued to shift from him to her wrist as she tried to forget how much it hurt. "Just go ahead and nod if you understand." He finished. When she did slowly respond with an affirming nod, he stood, satisfied. "Keep that anger." He spoke again. "You'll need it."

She watched him disappear behind the rustic steel door to the building beside her. She rolled onto her back as she continued to forcefully grip her wrist. Her eyes scanned the sky, its yellow and olive hue so foreign to her.

She wondered if she would ever see Earth's vibrant blue sky again.

* * *

In the distance, wheels spun quickly and anxiety ran high. A jeep came to a screeching halt in the parking lot across from Reefside beach. Jason Scott emerged from the vehicle, not even bothering to shut the door.

His eyes scanned the vast area, his body turning in all directions as he tried to see if his best friend was near.

"Tommy!" He shouted as his hands cupped the corners of his mouth. "Tommy!" He shouted once more in a panicked tone.

'He has to be here.' He thought to himself. Tommy had been coming to this beach for over a decade. This was where he had picked up surfing and discovered he loved it to no end. Jason knew this is where Tommy came on rough days, he knew this would be the first place Tommy would retreat to after what had just happened at Hayley's Cafe.

Jason raced down a short flight of stairs, his feet now making their way across the sand toward the water.

"Tommy!" He shouted again. He had an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach, an intuition that his friend was in danger. That feeling was met with certainty as he looked to his left, his jaw dropping at the sight of a cane washing ashore. He ran over to it and picked it up, his eyes shifting from the cane back to the water.

"No…" He said under his breath as he tossed the cane onto the beach. "No, no, no…" He repeated in disbelief as he removed his shoes and tan leather coat. He wasted no time as he made his way into the cold water, diving underneath an oncoming wave.

A light blue Miata pulled up then, parking next to the jeep. Hayley and Billy both exited the vehicle, looking over at each other in worry before making their way down the same path Jason had.

"Jason!" Hayley yelled, Billy's call echoing hers. She too knew this would be the place Tommy would come to and consequently the place Jason would come looking for him.

"Hayley!" Billy called as he bent down and picked up Jason's jacket. Their eyes met before they both slowly turned their attention to the ocean before them.

"I'm going to run ahead and see if I can spot him." She said before making her way toward the north side of the beach.

Billy nodded. "I'll watch this side."

A few minutes passed, their worry beginning to escalate. Hayley and Billy ran up and down the beach, doing their best to see if their friends were somewhere out in the water. The sun had just gone down and they knew it would only be a matter of time before they couldn't see anything at all. Hayley ran back towards Billy who had his back turned to her. "Anything?" She asked between breaths.

Billy shook his head before turning around to face her. He was holding Tommy's cane. "I think we need to call 911, Hayley."

She let out a breath of disbelief, as she shook her head in defiance. "We just… we just got him back." Her eyes shifted back at the water as she clasped her hands together behind her head. "This can't be happening."

"Hayley…" Billy began in a pleading tone. "We need to make the call." He paused, taking a few steps closer to his wife. "Hayley, please..."

Tears began to threaten her cheeks. She extended her hand out at him as if she were halting him. "Just one more minute…"

"Hayley…"

"One more minute." She told him sternly, her eyes briefly meeting his before returning to the water.

Billy shook his head in silence as he began to walk away from her. His right hand met his hip as his left pushed his glasses back up onto his nose. He looked over at the items his friends had left on the beach and wondered if that image would haunt him. He was absolutely thinking the worst at this point, the currents stronger than ever at this hour. The thought of losing Tommy again was almost too much to bear but losing Jason too, he didn't know how he could come back from that. He looked back out at the water. 'Come on, Jason.' He silently pleaded before looking back down at his watch. He looked up at Hayley, about to speak again when they heard someone surface from the water, gasping for air.

"Jason!" Hayley yelled as Billy ran back over to her, the two now spotting their friend's head above the sea. They watched as he went back under, an oncoming wave brushing past him. When he resurfaced all they could see was the back of his head. Another wave approached, Jason ducking back under once more. He surfaced again, this time with Tommy slung over his shoulder as he tried to swim to shore with one arm.

"Oh my God." Hayley said as she cupped her cheeks in worry. Billy had taken his shoes and jacket off at this point and was quickly making his way into the water now after them.

Another minute passed as Hayley watched Billy pull one of Tommy's arms around his neck, Jason taking the other. The two were now standing, dragging Tommy through the water to shore.

The two men carefully laid their unconscious friend down onto the sand.

"Jesus…" Hayley said in just above a whisper as she got her first look at Tommy's face. He was blue and pale, his mouth just slightly ajar.

"I don't understand…" She said again as those once threatening tears now made their way down her cheeks. She had one hand on Tommy's thigh, the other on his wrist. "He had just come back to us… he survived everything. Why would he… why would he do this?"

Billy felt for a pulse. "He's not breathing." He told them as he placed his glasses in the sand and began CPR.

Jason stood above them in silence, shaking from the cold, his own skin pale. He was unaware he was experiencing shock, completely lost in the moment.

"Jason…" Hayley addressed, looking up at him as Billy continued on, doing his absolute best to save their friend. She stood, facing Jason as he continued to disregard her, his piercing, hopeful eyes watching Billy's every move. "I'm going to call for an ambulance." She said aloud, looking at both of them. She walked past Jason, unlocking her phone as she dialed 9-1-1. She was about to hit call but immediately froze. Intense beams of light suddenly shone down from above, wind now sweeping up the sand and making her hair fly all around her. Jason turned around then, trying to get a better look at what was illuminating half of the beach. Billy glanced up for a moment and knew immediately what it was.

Hayley put her phone back in her pocket as she and Jason both turned to face the Astro Megaship, now hovering above the ocean close to shore. A ramp opened from the bottom of the aircraft, the end of it meeting the sand as a man came running down and over to them.

"Andros." Hayley said with a faint smile as the former Red Space Ranger came to a halt in front of them.

"Can you help me get him onto the ship?" Andros asked Jason. Hayley turned to Jason, seeing him nod in silence.

Billy stopped performing CPR as Andros and Jason pulled Tommy's arms around their shoulders, lifting him up from the sand. The two made their way up the ramp, Billy and Hayley running after them. The ramp closed and the Megaship slowly began to rise, taking off up into the sky.

Little did they know that citizen journalism was more at play than ever. The beachside neighbors had gathered the moment they saw the spaceship arrive and had caught it all on video on their phones.

The Power Rangers were about to make the 5 o'clock news once again.

* * *

" _Dad!" She called from upstairs. "Come look!"_

" _Coming!" He yelled back up at her. He was just finishing grading one of his student's essays on the evolution of birds from dinosaurs. He took one last sip of his green tea and made his way upstairs._

" _What's up?" He asked as he walked down the hall to her room._

" _Look!" She told him excitedly as he stopped in the doorway of her bedroom, leaning against the jam as he crossed his arms._

 _He smiled. "Looks good, kid." She had just hung up her green belt in the wood encased glass cabinet on the wall. He had built the case for her as a gift when she got her first promotion to orange belt. Above the neatly folded green belt were the six belts that had come before it. He looked over at her, beaming as a proud father would. "You were great today, J-O."_

" _We were great." She replied as she sat down on her bed and looked up at the case. "Our kata was better than everyone else's."_

 _Tommy laughed. "It was good, that's for sure."_

 _He noticed then that she was still dressed in her black karate gi. "You going to bed in that tonight? You know you should only wear it when you're practicing."_

" _I know, I know." She replied, looking down at her uniform. She stood then, picking up her new brown belt from her bedside table. She walked over to him, meeting his eyes as she extended her belt out to him. "One more time?"_

 _He grinned, shaking his head as he bent down on his knees. "I know you know how to put this on by now."_

 _She grinned back at him. "You tie it better, Dad."_

" _There." He said as he finished wrapping her new belt around her waist._

" _Can you teach me some new moves?" She asked with eagerness._

 _He stood, looking down at his watch. It was after 8 PM. "It's getting late, Jamie. You've got school in the morning and so do I."_

" _Please, Dad?" She began, running over to her backpack and pulling out her new routine booklet. "I want to get a headstart on this before my next class."_

" _Let me see that." He replied as he motioned for her to give him the booklet. He took a moment to refresh his memory on the brown belt kata sets. "Hmm." He began. "Have you looked at this yet?"_

 _She shook her head. "Alright." He began. "Meet me downstairs in five."_

 _She jumped for joy. He grinned again before he headed downstairs. Once in the foyer, he pulled the jaw down on the T-Rex miniature on the table nearby, a door beneath a fake burgundy rug opening just down the hallway. He made his way down into what was once the headquarters of the Dino Thunder team. As his foot left the last stair he walked over to the bookshelf on his right, retrieving a green and gold colored wooden chest from the top shelf. He opened it up, pulling out his own white gi. He took a moment to put it on before walking over to a glass cabinet similar to the one in Jamie's room. He opened it, pulling out his 8th degree black belt and carefully wrapping it around his waist. As he tightened it, he wondered when he had last worn it. Years had gone by and he had never worn his tournament gi or his marked 8th degree belt in the time he had had Jamie. He heard her rapid footsteps approaching then. She quickly made her way down the stairs and over to him._

" _Wow!" She said as she walked up to him, stunned to see him dressed the way he was. She looked down at his black belt in awe, gently feeling the stripes on one of the ends._

" _Pretty cool, isn't it?" He said, looking down at her._

 _She looked back up and nodded taking a step away from him. He turned around and disappeared into the shadows behind the bookshelf leaving her to ponder what he was doing. As he reemerged, her jaw dropped at what he had brought back with him. He was holding two wooden staffs, one in each hand. One of them was around 4 feet long, while the other was just over 6 feet. He had purchased the shorter one a few years back when he realized Jamie loved learning karate and would likely get to this point in her training._

 _He motioned for her to take the shorter staff in his left hand. She then walked over to the marker on the floor in the center of the room. Tommy had created some space in there for practice once he knew he was fully retired as a Ranger. He had been teaching Jamie karate in that space for several years._

" _It's time you learned the ways of the Bo staff." He began, taking his place on the marker across from his daughter. He stood, feet squarely apart as he held the staff horizontally in front of him. She followed, her stance reflecting his. "As a brown belt, you will learn how to properly use this staff and incorporate it into your katas."_

 _She was beaming at this point and he paused, his expression matching hers as he took in this moment knowing he would remember it for the rest of his life. "You ready?"_

 _She nodded with enthusiasm._

 _He nodded back and recited the words he had spoken so many times in his life._

" _Let's do it!"_


End file.
